Bo transferred to judicial organs

    The serious law violation case involving Bo Xilai, former Chongqing Party chief, has been transferred to judicial organs*, according to the CPC’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

    Bo was expelled* from the Party in September last year after his wife, Bogu Kailai, received a suspended death sentence in August in the murder of British business partner Neil Heywood. Bo is accused of corruption and bending the law to cover up the murder.

    Heavier penalties for cover-ups

    Officials who cover up accidents will receive harsher penalties* according to China’s new legal interpretation for dereliction* of duty.

    The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) said on January 8 that the legal interpretation gives specific criteria for convictions* in cases involving abuse of power or dereliction of duty.

    Reporter beaten at shelter

    A homeless shelter in Changsha City, Hunan Province, is under investigation following a reporter’s claim that he was beaten up by staff there on January 7.

    The reporter, dressed as a homeless man and pretending to be deaf, said three people at the shelter knocked him to the ground, held his hands behind his back and trampled* on his body so hard that he couldn’t move or breathe, Changsha-based Sanxiang City Express reported.

    The newspaper said its reporter was trying to find out why homeless people would rather stay out in the cold, under bridges or in underground tunnels, than go to the warm government shelter.

    Smog endangers Beijing

    People refused to go out as Beijing’s air quality hit one of the worst levels on record in more than a decade.

    The capital’s meteorological* station issued the city’s first orange-level fog warning on Sunday morning due to decreased visibility*. Monitoring data released on Sunday showed that air quality indexes in most regions of Beijing hit 500, the indexes’ highest level.

    (SD-Agencies)